Claudia Jones: a fire that never went out
June 22, 2026
Claudia Jones, secretary of the Women’s Commission of the Communist Party, pictured in New York City on 22 January 1948. Photograph by Anthony Camerano / Associated Press (public domain)
Anjola Fashawe reflects on the revolutionary whose fight for Black Britain still echoes this Windrush Day
As a young Black journalist, this Windrush Day I celebrate one of the pioneers who paved the way for people like me: Claudia Jones.
While many know her as the founder of Notting Hill Carnival, her legacy stretches wider. Claudia Jones was a revolutionary writer, organiser and activist who campaigned against racism in the UK. She fought to ensure Black communities in Britain were both welcomed and able to exercise their rights as human beings.
Born in Trinidad in 1915, Jones emigrated to New York as a child of eight, after the collapse of Trinidad’s cocoa trade. She was later deported to Britain after being convicted in the US for her membership of the Communist Party, at the height of the McCarthy era. What surprises me is that she was not deported to Trinidad but to Britain.
Trinidad refused her entry. According to historical records, the British colonial governor judged she ‘may prove troublesome’. Jones arrived in London in December 1955. At the time, Trinidad was part of the British Empire and its citizens were considered British subjects. It is a reminder of how much ideas around migration and belonging have changed.
Today, political groups increasingly push the belief that migrants are not welcome in Britain so it can be easy to forget how much of modern Britain has been shaped by migrant communities. Much of the labour, culture and creativity we celebrate today exists because people came here to build their lives and contributed to society.
As someone who is second generation, Claudia Jones reminds me that being British and embracing your family’s heritage are not competing identities but part of modern Britain.
Jones’ fight against racism uplifted Black voices whilst also embracing art and culture
Her contribution to journalism is one of the reasons I find her so inspiring. In 1958, she founded the West Indian Gazette, a newspaper written by and for Black Caribbean communities. It was the first publication of its kind in Britain and should be recognised as a foundation to publications such as gal-dem magazine.
I have been influenced by Gal-dem, before it sadly closed, and its talented and diverse creatives whose work stayed with me as a young journalist. Looking up to pioneers like Claudia Jones reminds me that Black voices in British media did not appear overnight. People fought to create those spaces. Now, we can contribute to conversations important to our community rather than just consuming news.
Jones’ fight against racism uplifted Black voices whilst also embracing art and culture. Her words, “a people’s art is the genesis of their freedom,” still feel powerful today. She understood representation was more than politics – it was about identity and belonging.
That belief lives on through Notting Hill Carnival. Jones organised the first Caribbean Carnival in January 1959, not outside but in St Pancras Town Hall, a direct response to the Notting Hill race riots. She turned trauma into celebration. This began during a period when racist hatred towards Black communities was widespread and has become one of the defining events of London’s summer. Every year, Caribbean communities and people from all backgrounds come together, a reminder of the Windrush generation’s vital role in Britain’s heritage.
Though there’s still a long way to go, I’m proud of the Britain I’m part of, especially having grown up in London
With unrest once again on the streets of Belfast and increasingly hostile rhetoric towards ethnic communities, Jones’ legacy is more important than ever. She launched the West Indian Gazette in March 1958, giving voice to Caribbean communities. The racist attacks that followed in the Notting Hill race riots that summer are an uncomfortable reminder of debates around belonging today. Hatred thrives when people are treated as outsiders rather than valued members of society.
Though there’s still a long way to go, I’m proud of the Britain I grew up in, especially London, a diverse and accepting place. Windrush Day is not only an opportunity to remember the past. It is a chance to recognise how far we have come, while also remembering how much migrant communities continue to contribute to British society.
Claudia Jones spent her life making sure Black communities could be seen, heard and celebrated. She died on Christmas Eve 1964, aged just 49, her health destroyed by years of imprisonment and persecution. More than sixty years later, that mission still feels as relevant as ever.
This work continues. The Jigsaw House Society, is a community consultancy and support organisation and one of the partners behind the Windrush Justice Clinic. They help people affected by the Windrush scandal access free legal advice, mental health support and compensation. The same communities Claudia Jones fought for are still fighting to be recognised. The flame she lit has not gone out.
